The Rescued Jeep Wrangler - Part 8

The end is near! OK. This isn’t some doomsday prophecy, but rather a proclamation that we are almost ready to get our Rescued Wrangler project in the dirt. For those of you unfamiliar with the Rescued Wrangler, hang on for a quick overview. We purchased the ’95 Jeep Wrangler YJ a little over a year ago from an owner who had simply run out of time, money, and interest in the project. The Jeep was already equipped with the 2½-ton Rockwell axles, but the suspension was far from perfect, components were missing, and despite having less than 70,000 miles on the odometer, the condition was rough.

Over the course of the past year, we’ve slowly upgraded, repaired, and revamped the once-abandoned YJ. From the beginning, we’ve stuck with a budget-theme, and proudly, we’ve managed to create a trail-friendly 4x4 for less than the cost of a new side-by-side. This wasn’t necessarily our goal, but a solid way to put in perspective just how much vehicle you can have, for not a tremendous amount of coin. To help with the build, we enlisted the expertise of Low Range 4x4.

Located in Wilmington, North Carolina, owner Kelly Carter and his entire Low Range 4x4 crew were able to handle everything from tedious fabrication to basic troubleshooting. In this installment, we’re blasting through the punch list. Post the ever important shakedown run, we’ll bring you the wrap-up on our small-budget big Jeep in the next installment. To view the complete buildup linage, be sure to visit our site at www.fourwheeler.com.